In the late 1960’s, when my grandparents emigrated from Israel to Australia, they lived in Hurstville. Their house was steps away from the Georges River in the quiet, idyllic Southern suburbs of Sydney.
The only drawback was the distance. Hurstville was 15 miles away from Bondi and the Eastern suburbs, the center of Jewish life in Sydney. Needless to say, there were no kosher butchers nearby. (But there is the Southern Sydney Synagogue, an Orthodox congregation that was established in 1943.)
My grandmother’s older sister, Auntie Naima, who immigrated to Australia via Bombay and Shanghai in the late 1920’s, lived in nearby Gymea. She arranged for a delivery from the local butcher, but when my Nana Aziza unwrapped the meat and chicken she immediately knew that it wasn’t kosher. She asked her sister to take it to her home. When Auntie Naima told her that the kosher butcher was too far away, my grandmother cried and said “I will cook fish every day. I will not feed my family treif (nonkosher) meat!”
When the family moved to Rose Bay, my grandfather Aba Naji would take me with him to the butcher shop on Bondi Road. The butcher would always smile at me and hand me a pale sausage to eat while I waited. It was such a delicious treat!
I have vivid memories of the mess that would ensue when the kosher chicken arrived in her kitchen. My Nana Aziza would unwrap all the packages and salt the chicken for an hour to drain the blood and then pluck away the feathers. It was always such a production! It makes me so grateful for the convenience of unwrapping a pack of relatively clean, pre-kashered Empire chicken.
One of the biggest gifts of my life was that as an adult, I had the honor of cooking for my grandparents. One of the compliments that I cherish most, was that my grandmother loved my chicken.
One of the greatest challenges in the kitchen is changing up chicken recipes. Let’s face it, no matter how good the chicken tastes, the same old recipe gets kind of boring. So, depending on my mood, I will use different spices and spice rubs (paprika, turmeric and Old Bay are definitely favorites), different fruits and rinds (lemons, oranges, mandarins and peaches), different sauces (soy, duck and barbecue), not to mention silan, tamarind and pomegranate molasses. Let’s not forget the aromatics — onion and garlic, carrots and celery.
This week, Rachel and I share a recipe for a bright lemony chicken that includes some of our favorite ingredients.
The sticky sweet and savory glaze features pomegranate molasses, Dijon mustard, freshly squeezed lemon juice and minced garlic. We used shallots, which just get sweeter and sweeter as they roast with the chicken. We also used sunchokes which add an earthy brightness. We adore their subtle flavor, but if you can’t find them at the store feel free to omit them.
The huge plus is that a super, simple sheet pan recipe results in a dish that looks so impressive and sophisticated. The chicken is so moist and flavorful and the Dutch baby potatoes are so soft and creamy.
—Sharon
Oil, for roasting
5 sunchokes, washed and sliced into 1/4″ rounds
1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces plus 4 drumsticks
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp sweet paprika
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 pomegranate molasses
1 lemon, juiced
6 garlic cloves, crushed
2 lbs Dutch baby potatoes
2 large shallots, sliced into thin wedges
1 lemon, cut into wedges for garnish
Rosemary sprigs, for garnish
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Place sunchokes on a small parchment lined baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes.
In a medium bowl, mix together the paprika, mustard, salt and pepper, pomegranate molasses, crushed garlic and olive oil.
Arrange chicken pieces on a large parchment lined baking tray, then pour the sauce over the chicken.
Nestle the potatoes, shallots and sunchokes in and around the chicken pieces.
Raise the oven temperature to 400°F and roast chicken for 55 to 65 minutes. Internal chicken temperature should be 165°F and potatoes should be fork tender.
Sharon Gomperts and Rachel Emquies Sheff have been friends since high school. The Sephardic Spice Girls project has grown from their collaboration on events for the Sephardic Educational Center in Jerusalem. Follow them on Instagram @sephardicspicegirls and on Facebook at Sephardic Spice SEC Food. Website sephardicspicegirls.com/full-recipes.
